Decorative concrete – For that priceless elegance.
Today we are looking for new and better ways of making our homes beautiful and stylish. Gone are the days when homes were designed on a common blue print. With interior designing catching up the ‘living area’ whether it be home or offices are sure looking for new and innovate ways for being different and stylish. An important new trend in this process is that of decorative concrete.
Decorative concrete serves an important function in terms of strength and durability of floors, walkways lounges etc. they are getting popular not only in an average home but also basements, high-rise apartments and other structures. The most conman ways of covering concrete is by using carpets. Some others prefer not to cover it and instead use granite, slate etc. one however cannot argue with such expenses. The durability and other high maintenance required is also a major concern. Spill ice cream on your rug in a party and count the cost. Also carpets can fade in colour or they may tear. Not ideal when you have small children.
The most ideal option for all the other floorings is decorating the existing concrete with rich hues and shades of different designs. They are free from all the hazards of your common furnishing like cost, management and durability. They do not need to be resurfaced or replaced and are long lasting. Free from germs and other bacteria they can be used in terms of a hygienic option to moldy rugs and carpets the best part is that they can be applied to your exciting concrete.
Popular methods of decorative concrete
Scoring- shallow cuts can be with circular saws about 1/8′ deep to create impressions of many geometric shapes and designs. To walls and other coverings.
Chemical Staining – an unpredictable way of forming stains and patters by chemical formulation in terms of the floor’s lime content. This procedure can be used on new or old concrete slabs. This is unpredictable but by no means dangerous in terms of decoration disasters as the chemical bonding can react to other chemicals and outside environmental conditions.
Concrete Stamping – Rigid or flexible patterns are used to imprint the outline and textures of stone, brick, tile, wood planks, slate, or other natural paving materials into the freshly cast concrete surface.
However like all design options decorative concrete is not free from limitations. It is especially not applicable to those who prefer the soft touch of rugs and carpets. The hard surface can also be aversive to those who prefer warm materials.
There are many more articles in our Decking, Flooring, Tools, and Fixtures sections.